The Blizzard
by SweetKnees
Summary: A blizzard blankets Washington, DC. The staff, Jed, and Abbey have a little fun...separately and together.
1. Chapter 1

This story is inspired by the 2016 Blizzard.

"The Blizzard"

 **Chapter 1**

"Yeah, I called the mayor. She's issued a state of emergency for DC. The governors of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia have followed suit. We expect New Jersey, Delaware, and New York to announce soon," Leo briefed the President.

"Staff all going home? I assume they don't have the mettle to handle _real_ weather," Jed surmised proudly.

"Nah, this is the place to be in a blizzard," Leo grinned his crooked smile.

"So you're all expecting Abbey and me to entertain you?"

"Pretty much."

"Well be prepared for a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit," the President said, rapping his knuckles on the Resolute Desk.

"Dear Jesus." Leo rolled his eyes.

"I saw that."

I know."

"What do you say about gathering around 5:30 for some chili and trivia? Let the staff know."

"Yes, sir," Leo said, excusing himself to his own office.

Jed scampered off the residence to find Abbey.

He found her in the study, reviewing a speech she was going to make on children's health.

"Hey, Sweet Knees," Jed greeted his wife, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Hey. I'm just hunkered down here working on my speech," Abbey said, pulling Jed down to sit on the couch with her.

"How's it going?" he asked, brushing some hair back from Abbey's face.

"Good. I want you to look it over later, though."

"Sure. Hey, listen. Leo and I were thinking of getting the staff together tonight for some chili and Trivial Pursuit. What do you think?"

"Um, Poindexter, I'm not so sure anyone truly wants to play Trivial Pursuit with you. It's only because you're the President that they feel obligated."

Jed looked dismayed. "You don't think anyone likes my useful knowledge of things both arcane and commonplace? Like how I know that the name "Abigail" comes from the Old Testament and means "the father's joy?"

Abbey sighed loudly, trying to hide her amusement. But Jed saw the little smile creep across Abbey's face.

"No matter how much you pretend to be annoyed by my infinite trivia, you can't resist it."

"I know. Damn that about me." Abbey smiled and tilted forward to kiss Jed. The kiss lasted several seconds.

"Mmm," Jed groaned. "I'm supposed to go back downstairs and get ready for the gathering, and you're turning me on."

"Well you're the one who made these plans without asking me first," Abbey countered, kissing him again.

"But hon, I thought you loved my staff." Jed was puzzled.

"Of course I do. But it's supposed to snow like two and a half feet over the next twenty-four hours. I wanted to have our own little blizzard party. I thought we'd be alone for once."

"What if I kick 'em out by 8:00?"

"Make it 7:30, and you've got a deal."

"I better go start making the chili."

They both stood, and Abbey drew Jed in for one last kiss, grabbing his behind as she did.

"Now I don't even want to have the get-together," Jed griped.

Abbey giggled her soft, melodious laugh. "Get to it, Jethro," she said, escorting him to the door.

"Don't call me that."

"Check with your wife before making plans."

"Touché," Jed replied, closing the study door quietly behind him, giving Abbey a final longing look over his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Leo, CJ, Toby, Josh, Sam, Donna, and Charlie were gathered in a semi-circle in the mural room when the President and First Lady entered.

"Welcome, folks. Thanks for being here. Shall we pick teams?" Jed suggested.

Josh pushed Sam forward. The President gave Josh a questioning look.

"Sir, Mr. President, if I may propose that we play Pictionary instead. No one will stand a chance against you in Trivial Pursuit." Sam implored.

"Ah, I see. So they made you the messenger, huh?" Jed questioned.

Sam looked around nervously. "Well, sir, everyone felt that perhaps I have the right temperament. That my appeal wouldn't be seen as insulting. Not that Toby or Josh is harsh in his approach. Or that CJ couldn't. I think that we all…"

Jed held up a hand to stop Sam's babbling. "It's okay. Though don't think for a second that I don't know who the ringleader is in this little coup." The President glared at Leo. Leo looked unblinkingly back at his oldest friend.

"Sir, I did what needed to be done," Leo replied, as Abbey stifled a laugh behind her husband.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's choose teams. And no making fun of my drawings," Jed jokingly grumbled.

"I'll go get the easel from the Roosevelt Room," Sam volunteered, eager to regroup after that awkward moment.

The rest of the staff got to work arranging two sofas on either side of the coffee table.

— —

"Shall we choose a theme for the clues? Great scholars? Or maybe prominent historical figures?" Jed brightly inquired of his staff as the teams made themselves comfortable on the couches.

"Sir, not everyone is as big a nerd as you," Josh piped in. "Nor do we possess your esoteric knowledge of things like Chinese generals from the 7th century."

Jed glared at him. "Joshua, watch yourself. And I have all the faith in the world that you could depict General Guo Ziyi from the Tang Dynasty."

"Oh Jed, you know you're a world class geek," Abbey interjected from her seat on the couch. Josh gave her a grateful look. "Let's pick something safe like pop culture," she added.

"Really? Pop culture? Okay, if no one wants to learn anything…"

The rest of the group groaned. "Fine! I give up. Pop culture it is," Jed acquiesced.

For the next hour, the teams took turns guessing clues. Some of the more entertaining drawings came from the President. Because his knowledge of pop culture was next to nothing, he kept trying to ask Charlie, his most sympathetic teammate, for help. Charlie would not budge.

"Mr. President, it's against the rules for me to help you with the clue when I'm supposed to be guessing the answer," Charlie tried to explain.

"I thought we were men, Charles Young. I thought we helped one another in times of need," the President implored.

"I would be happy to get you a subscription to _People Magazine_ ," Leo chimed in from the other team.

"Please, if it's not _The Economist_ or _National Geographic_ , Jed hasn't heard of the publication," Abbey joked.

"My own wife, my best friend, and my personal aide. All against me!" Jed complained.

And the President was no better as a guesser than he was an artist. When CJ tried to draw the movie _Apocalypse Now_ as a giant sun with helicopters circling it, the President practically burst a vein in his head. She even drew Colonel Kurtz with war paint on his face, but the President was still without the foggiest idea. When the timer finally ran out, everyone yelled in unison, "APOCALYPSE NOW!"

"What? What the hell is that?" Jed demanded.

"Only one of the greatest movies of all time," Toby called out. " 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning?' 'The horror! The horror!' Vietnam? Marlon Brando? Nothing?" Toby held up his hands in disbelief.

Jed looked around the room. "Has everyone heard of this movie?"

Everyone nodded vigorously. "Even I've heard of it, Mr. President, and I hate anything violent," Donna volunteered. "But Captain Willard was easy on the eyes. In fact, he kind of looks like you…" Donna realized what she'd said and immediately turned bright red. She looked back and forth between the President and First Lady, in complete desperation and embarrassment.

"It's okay, Donna. Really. I know my husband's a fox," Abbey said, patting Donna's arm.

"All right, now that's it's getting awkward, maybe we ought to call it an evening," the President suggested. "It's almost 7:30 and it's supposed to start snowing around 9:00. I want all of you to get home before you're caught in it."

The staff said their goodbyes to the First Couple and headed out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jed was thrilled to be back in the Residence alone with Abbey. Sure, he'd had fun with his staff. They were like his family, after all. But Abbey's kiss from earlier in the day still tingled on Jed's lips. Snowy weather, when the world was forced to quiet down and be still, stirred feelings in him. As a boy, he used to like lying in the snow and staring up at the stars, loving the stillness and the silence. If it weren't for the fact that his mother usually called him in after about an hour, Jed could have spent the whole night watching the stars, dreaming about his future. Stars always made Jed hopeful.

There was also something very romantic about snow. Its same tendency to make one reflect also provoked a certain shared warmth. Tonight, he wanted to make Abbey feel like they were protected from the rest of the world, like tonight in this snowstorm, they could have fun and be lovers without any hurry or distraction. Too often their time together was rushed or interrupted.

So, he had left the chili-making to the White House chef and set about making romantic plans for that evening. Now it was time!

"What do we have here?" Abbey asked, noticing a wool blanket placed in front of the fireplace

"I thought we could make some s'mores," Jed said, as he gestured to the silver platter of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate set on a nearby table. Abbey smiled in approval.

They settled themselves on the blanket and started preparing the s'mores.

One of the many perks of living in the White House was that even an obscure thing like a skewer for marshmallows could be produced for the President with just one phone call. Need two thermoses of hot chocolate? Coming right up. Jed was happy to have all these resources at his disposal to make this the perfect wintery night for Abbey.

Jed hated the burned taste, so he hovered his stick over the flames for only a few moments. Abbey, on the other hand, liked the crispy outside with a gooey center, so she let hers roast until it was practically black.

"So, I guess it turns out I'm not all-knowing," Jed kidded, taking a bite of his treat.

Abbey licked some marshmallow off her finger and replied, "Your pop culture knowledge is an embarrassment, but I'd still nominate you for People's Sexiest Man Alive."

"What?" Jed asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

" _People Magazine_ names one man the Sexiest Man Alive every year," Abbey explained.

"We're not cattle, Abigail. It doesn't seem very dignified to appraise men based only on their looks."

"You're joking, right?" Abbey asked. "Women are valued for nothing but their looks!"

Jed waved his hands, signaling Abbey to calm down. "I only meant that I figured ladies were much more sophisticated than men. That you women weren't ruled by such…. carnal desires," he said, lowering his voice to a sexy rumble.

"When a fox like you is in front of me, it's awfully hard to think of anything but my carnal desires," Abbey purred.

It was tempting to jump his gorgeous wife right then. Since they knew each other's bodies so well, it was easy to go through it like a checklist: a few minutes of flirting, two or three minutes of kissing, some quick foreplay, and maybe ten minutes of sex. He wanted to properly seduce his wife, to take his time. After all, what else was there to do during a blizzard?

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Bartlet senior staffers—-sans Leo, who had taken a town car home— decided to take advantage of the uncharacteristically quiet DC streets, and walk back to CJ's apartment for a drink. Nobody but the six of them seemed to want to brave the impending storm, so the streets were empty of other people and cars.

"I just don't understand how you could get my Madonna drawing wrong, Sam," Josh said as he trudged through the street. "Don't you remember her cone bra? I mean I had some…some dreams about her."

"Joshua!" Donna exclaimed, disgusted by Josh's admission.

"Man, why do you have to be disgusting, especially in front of ladies?" Charlie asked, giving Josh a grossed out look. Josh looked down at his feet.

"Sam's like an adorable little martian. He's just as clueless about pop culture as the President is," CJ said, trying to change the subject.

"I'm not that bad!" Sam protested.

"Why should our dear Samuel Norman Seaborn concern himself with the dreck of our modern age? Half of what passes for popular now has little depth," Toby bemoaned.

"Thank you!" Sam said, wrapping an arm around Toby's shoulder.

"I'm not cuddly," Toby muttered, shrugging off Sam's arm.

When they arrived back at CJ's house, they settled down in her living room.

"I could make margaritas," CJ suggested, rummaging through her liquor cabinet.

"That's not exactly a wintry drink," came Josh's retort.

"I'll put a marshmallow in yours," CJ said dryly. "Ok, how about Irish coffee?"

"Anything you make is fine, CJ. Josh is just being difficult," Donna said, giving Josh a poke in the ribs.

"Ow!"

"Well, you deserved it!"

"I hardly think questioning the seasonality of a margarita deserves a poke like that."

"Hey, look, it's starting to snow," Charlie said, looking out the window. He was getting annoyed with Josh's constant need to make sarcastic comments and to show off. Josh acted like a twelve year old boy. What grown-up who works in the White House wears a damn backpack? Or thinks he can boss around Congressmen twice his age? What irked Charlie most of all was when Josh gave the President lip. Josh always had to be the center of attention, the teacher's pet. And when Josh's obnoxiousness drove people to snap at him, he'd sulk.

Still, Charlie empathized with Josh. They'd both lost loved ones way too soon. Events like that damage a person, and it's not easy to fill the void. Underneath Josh's immaturity lay deep insecurity and pain, as well as a good heart. It wasn't that Charlie didn't like Josh—heck he loved to cream Josh in basketball games. It was just that sometimes Josh's insistent need to impress and prove he was the smartest got to be a bit much. Charlie knew the only person who neutralized Josh's hyperactivity was Donna. If only they'd both stop being idiots and just start dating already. Maybe his Christmas present to Josh could be to help speed along a Josh-Donna romance.

"Anybody up for a snowball fight?" asked Sam.

"Hell yes," replied Josh, looking at Toby to see if he too was interested. Toby nodded slightly and added, "Just warning everyone that I have a pretty good throwing arm."

"CJ and I will make the Irish coffee, while the rest of you start the fight," Charlie said. He wanted CJ's advice before putting any Josh-Donna romance plans into effect.

Sam, Donna, Toby, and Josh bundled up again and headed outside. CJ and Charlie could hear Josh hollering, "Let's DO THIS!" from the hallway.

"I could have made these myself, Chaz," CJ said, as she put a filter in the coffee machine.

"I know. I stayed back because I wanted to run something by you."

"Let's hear it," CJ said, motioning her hand toward herself.

"I was thinking of trying to pair up Josh and Donna."

CJ paused in front of the fridge, where she'd been about to retrieve the heavy cream.

"You think that's a good idea?

Charlie shrugged. "I know they work together, but she's a good influence on him."

CJ put the cream on the counter and thought a moment. Donna _did_ have a positive impact on Josh, even though he could stand to appreciate her more. However, working in the White House was stressful enough without trying to carry on a relationship with a coworker. Besides, was it right to interfere with Josh and Donna's lives?

 **To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Author's Note: Things get very steamy between Jed and Abbey.**

"Want to dance with me?" Jed asked, standing up from the blanket by the fireplace.

"Always," Abbey replied, taking the hand he offered her to stand.

Jed picked up the stereo remote and clicked play. Smooth jazz floated through the speakers as the First Couple began to sway. Jed held Abbey tightly, his right hand and her left hand pressed together, their foreheads touching. It wasn't about keeping time with the music. They simply wanted to hold each other.

They danced for a while, lost in the intimacy.

"I could stay like this forever," Abbey said softly.

"Me too, but don't you want to see the other stuff I planned for this evening, Hot Pants?"

Abbey couldn't help giggling when he called her that. "I'm up for more, if you are," she replied, looking directly in his eyes.

"If you go into the bathroom, you'll find a wrapped gift on the counter. Come out here when you've opened it."

Abbey sashayed off to the bathroom. She reappeared in the bathroom doorway moments later in a black satin chemise that accentuated her voluptuous figure. "Hey."

"Hey," Jed returned, coming over to Abbey and spinning her around. "You look amazing," he said with total awe.

"Thank you," Abbey said shyly. He could still make her blush.

"I picked it out myself," he admitted, standing behind her and kissing her shoulder, slowly pulling down one of the straps. He kissed her other shoulder and let that strap meander downward, too. With another soft tug, the satin garment fell to the floor. Jed took a moment to admire Abbey's lithe body before taking his hand and grasping her breast. He kissed her up and down her neck, inhaling her perfume. Then he worked his way down, kissing her clavicle, her arms, her nipples, her stomach, her thighs, and her calves. Abbey moaned gently in appreciation. He stood up and kissed her on the mouth, softly at first. Abbey was anticipating his tongue, wanting to feel it tangle with hers. Their lips locked together, they backed up to their bed, Abbey lying down on her back. Still engaged in a lip lock, they helped each other tear off Jed's clothes.

"Much better," Abbey said, stroking his chest and kissing him again. Her husband really was a fox.

Jed gave her a final long and sensuous kiss before breaking away to shower his attention on the rest of her body. He took his time admiring her breasts, tracing an outline of them with his finger. Her freckled chest drove him crazy, and her faint stretch marks from nursing their babies long ago only made Jed find Abbey even sexier. She was a real woman. He gently massaged each breast, loving how it felt in his hand, before taking it in his mouth. Abbey's cries heightened his growing arousal. Though he was feeling quite ready, he was determined to take his time.

Take his time he did. "That was…incredible," Abbey breathed after they finished much later. "I came like four times."

"I know," Jed grinned. "You deserved it." He kissed her tenderly on the lips. "But the night's still not over."

"You're ready to go again already?" Abbey asked, quite taken aback.

"No, Jesus, no." Jed said, a little too vehemently. He then saw the hurt look on Abbey's face and quickly corrected himself, placing a comforting hand over Abbey's own. "I didn't mean no as in no I don't want to or couldn't. I mean no, as in I have something else planned."

"Oh," Abbey said, relieved. "What is it, then?"

"I thought we could go for a midnight walk in the snow."

"You really are quite the romancer tonight!"

—

The White House was transformed by the snow. The shape of the trees. The hidden ground. The building itself looked different covered in snow. Abbey and Jed walked arm in arm, enjoying the peaceful silence.

"This is so beautiful," remarked Abbey.

"It's not like winters at the farm, but it's still pretty special, right?" Jed looked at Abbey for reassurance. He knew how much she missed the privacy of New Hampshire.

"Are you kidding? This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. We're blessed."

They circled the South Lawn, soothed by the rhythmic crunching of their feet in the snow. Jed and Abbey stopped a moment to admire the view. Just beyond, they could see the Washington Monument, draped in falling snow.

"I used to love lying in the snow as a boy. I'd just lie there and look up at the stars. It made me feel so hopeful." A slight, sad look crossed Jed's face. "Now it's less hopeful and more wistful."

"C'mon," Abbey said, wanting to cheer him up. She could see Jed might be headed down a path where he'd start blaming himself for not accomplishing everything he set out to do. "Let's build a snowman."

"We're adults, Abbey."

"It'll be fun. Either that or I'll destroy you in a snowball fight. You know I used to play softball in college, and your throwing skills are not the _greatest_ , shall we say."

"Fine, fine," Jed laughed in agreement.

They started gathering and packing snow into a giant ball. With nearly a foot of snow already and more on the way, they could make a very sturdy snowman.

"Be sure that you make the torso and head smaller than the bottom," reminded Jed. "It's physics. See if you don't…"

"Who's the scientist here, hon?" Abbey interrupted him.

"Right." Jed took this as his cue not to lecture about something his wife knew more about than he did. "We could use a few branches from the dogwood tree for arms. Hopefully, no one will mind us defacing a White House tree."

"I'll be your defense witness in the Hague trial," Abbey teased. She turned back and continued working to get the bottom nice and round.

Jed was able to tear off two very small twigs from the tree. Surely no one would mind!

"Remember how Ellie used to get so upset when the snowman and his family melted?" Abbey asked, as Jed came plodding back with the branches.

"I usually promised her early Easter candy to mend her broken heart."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"What can I say? I'd do anything to make those girls happy."

"I know you would," Abbey said seriously.

They continued to work on the snowman in happy silence until they'd completed all three parts. Despite the presence of the Secret Service some distance away it felt like it was just the two of them alone in the world. It was so nice to do something simple and carefree with his wife, not worrying about upcoming meetings or interruptions from staffers.

"He actually looks pretty good," Jed said, standing back to admire their work.

"He does," Abbey said, squeezing Jed's hand. "It needs one more thing, though." She pulled Jed in by his scarf for a quick kiss, before unraveling it from his neck. "There," she said with satisfaction, wrapping it around the snowman.

"Hey! That's a nice scarf!"

"Oh who gives a damn."

"Yeah. What are we going to do about his face? He has none."

"Let's go raid the kitchen for raisins and a carrot," Abbey said, taking Jed's hand. It had been a perfect evening, and she didn't want this blizzard to end.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Author's Note: Sorry it's been a month since I've published an update!**

"Why are you feeling so charitable anyway, Charlie?" CJ asked.

Charlie thought for a second as he poured whiskey into the steaming mugs of coffee. "I guess it's because I'm happy with Zoey, so I feel like spreading the love around."

CJ smiled briefly. Charlie and Zoey made a great pair. After all that he had been through, Charlie deserved to be happy. While it was great that his being in love made him want other people to be happy, CJ wasn't so sure that it was wise to push Donna and Josh together. "I really don't think it's our place to meddle."

"I hear that. But don't you think Josh would be, well, less Josh if he were with Donna?"

CJ chuckled. "Whatever do you mean?" she said, playfully. Yes, Josh could be a little much sometimes, but his heart was always in the right place.

"Come on, you know how he can be," Charlie said, putting the Irish coffee mugs onto a tray.

"I do," she said, more seriously. "But I also know they'll realize their feelings eventually on their _own_."

Charlie nodded, but he wondered, given who they were, how long it would take for Josh and Donna to realize how they felt. He suspected it would be a very long time.

—

Meanwhile, outside, the snow continued falling. Toby and Donna teamed up against Sam and Josh. Donna and Toby stationed themselves behind two parked cars about ten yards from where Josh was. Sam played offense, pelting the cars with snowballs, hoping that when Toby or Donna peeked out to throw one at Josh, Sam could hit one of them.

"Toby, you're right," Donna said as she wound up her arm to take aim at Josh. "There is something very liberating about this!"

"Atta girl! There's a little violence in all of us. You just have to channel it in the right way. Right at Joshua Lyman."

"Don't encourage her! I thought we were friends, Toby!" Josh shouted, backing up quickly to avoid Donna's fast-moving snowball. Unfortunately for Josh, he wasn't looking where he was going and slipped on snow, falling backward on his behind.

"Oh my God! Are you all right?" Donna called, coming over to where Josh lay in the snow.

Before she knew what was happening, she too slipped and fell on top of Josh. They both stared at each other, not knowing what to do. "I…" Josh began. They were inches away from each other's faces. He'd never noticed Donna's sultry lips before. Or her porcelain skin that looked so soft.

Josh had this adorable widow's peak. And being this close to him, Donna could see his brown eyes had a sexy quality. Suddenly Donna started feeling warm inside. She stared at him, wanting him to lean in.

But their moment was broken by his beeping pager.

"You're beeping," Donna said, trying to regain her composure.

"It's… I can't quite… You're going to have to get off me so I can get my pager." Josh was rarely at a loss for words, but for the brief moment Donna was on top of him, strange feelings stirred in him. He had a strong urge to kiss her. And the way she'd looked at him…like she had _wanted_ him to kiss her.

"Hey, you two okay over there?" Sam asked, coming over, as Donna rolled off Josh. He felt like he was intruding on something between Josh and Donna. "My pager and Toby's are beeping. Is yours?"

"Yeah," Josh said, standing and brushing the snow off himself. He hoped Sam hadn't noticed the moment between him and Donna. He needed to sort out how he felt before being interrogated by Sam.

Back inside, CJ informed all of them that the page was from the President. "Have as much Irish coffee as you want, guys. The President says we have tomorrow off!"

Everybody grabbed a mug and toasted the great news.

CJ held up a hand."Whoa, whoa, whoa. Before you imbibe too heavily, let me remind you that it's snowing, and it's only going to get worse. So, as much as I love all of you, I don't really want all of you crashing on my couch for the next two days. So maybe I should retract my earlier statement about having as much booze as you want."

"One drink, CJ, and then we will head home," Josh compromised.

"Anyone think it was the President who actually sent the page?" Donna inquired.

"Please," Charlie scoffed. " That man can't put a call on hold let alone page someone. My bet is Dr. Bartlet did it. I'm pretty sure the switchboard operator left hours ago, as did Mrs. Landingham."

The staff laughed thinking about their technologically-impaired President. They spent the next few minutes, as they drank their Irish coffee, sharing stories about the President's mishaps with technology.

"I think we better call it a night, everyone, " CJ said, setting her mug down on the coffee table.

The staff said their thanks to CJ for hosting and made their way back out into the winter storm.

"Be safe out there!" CJ called as she shut her door.

Fortunately, most of the staff lived relatively close by. Charlie split off first, heading to Georgetown to see Zoey.

Sam and Toby headed down the road toward M Street where they both lived just a few townhouses down from each other.

"See you guys tomorrow," Josh and Donna called after them.

"You want me to walk you home," Josh asked Donna. He wasn't sure if they should talk about what happened or ignore it. Josh had never been exactly suave with girls, so he wasn't even sure what he would say to Donna.

"Oh that's okay. I know you're in the opposite direction," Donna smiled meekly. Part of her wanted him to take her home so they could start the kiss they didn't get a chance to have. But she knew that being coworkers made it too complicated. Donna convinced herself that it was just her imagination that Josh had wanted to kiss her there in the snow. It was better this way, just to be friends.

"Are you sure?" Josh asked, feeling disappointed.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be fine," Donna tried to smile more convincingly this time. She didn't want him to walk her home out of pity.

"Ok, then I'll see you back at work," Josh said, giving her a slug on the arm. Immediately he felt like an idiot for doing it. "I'm not really sure why I did that. I guess because of earlier in the snow…I wasn't sure…"

"We're cool, Josh. It was nothing." Donna wanted to assure him that she was fine, that she didn't have feelings for him, that the almost kiss was completely forgotten.

"Ah. Good. Well, goodnight," he said. Inside, he felt like he'd been sucker punched.

 **To Be Continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Author's Note: More romance for Jed and Abbey during the blizzard! Reviews are always appreciated.**

"Good morning, lover," Abbey whispered, kissing Jed's forehead.

"Hey. That was something last night, huh?"

Abbey crawled on top of Jed. "Yeah. It was," she said, kissing him softly on the mouth. Last night had been amazing. Not just the sex, which was mind-blowing. (She'd had four orgasms to prove it.) But having nothing to hurry them had been amazing, too. Being able to just talk to each other for as long as they wanted. Abbey wanted it to last as long as possible. There'd be more time for talking later this morning. Right now, however, she wanted to please her husband.

—-

"Wow, Abbey! Wow."

Abbey chuckled softly, pleased that her husband enjoyed himself. She relished knowing she was the only one in the world who could make him feel such intense pleasure.

"Can I return the favor?" Jed asked.

"You may," Abbey said, looking yearningly into Jed's eyes.

—-

"Thank. You!" Abbey sighed after the last spasm of pleasure faded.

"You're welcome," Jed said, kissing Abbey's soft lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Abbey grinned at him. "You want to get some breakfast?"

"I think we have to fend for ourselves at this point. The kitchen staff is gone."

"You forget I do know how to cook. Eggs or pancakes?"

"I wouldn't say no to an omelet," Jed said, getting up and putting on his pajamas and slippers.

—-

"It's nice cooking for my man. I don't get to do it very often," Abbey said as she whisked the eggs.

"You're going to put ham in it, right?" Jed asked, pausing his onion chopping to wipe his eyes.

"Spinach."

"Spinach?" Jed asked, making a face. "You may as well have said green beans!"

Abbey laughed at Jed's petulant response. She knew how much he hated green beans. "Babe, I'd like you around for a while. But all hope is not lost. I'll sprinkle it with low-fat cheese."

"Low-fat she says, like it's some kind of reward," Jed grumbled.

Abbey gave him her 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "You could always have Shredded Wheat instead of an omelet."

This shut Jed right up. "No, low-fat is fine."

"Hey, what do you think of that new guy running for Congress?" Abbey asked, taking the onions from Jed and dumping them in the skillet.

"Hallsey? He frightens me. His whole campaign is based on feeding people's fears. That's not what government should be."

"I heard one of his rallies got violent over the weekend. Protesters and supporters."

"He's bringing out the worst in people. This country is supposed to be a peaceful, safe place. Not a place where certain types of people are unwelcome. But people are frustrated with the economy in his state. So they're hoping he has the golden ticket and can solve all their problems."

Abbey grabbed the spinach and cheese from the fridge. Jed shredded the cheese, while Abbey washed and ripped the spinach. "I would have thought that in the twenty-first century, we would be past the hatred and intolerance of earlier ages. I don't want Annie growing up in a world like that."

"Me either," Jed sighed. As much as he loved politics and enjoyed discussing them with his wife, he wasn't in the mood to get into a passionate discussion like this. So, he changed the subject. "Have you heard from Annie, lately?"

"Not since last week. She is still a little iffy about the arrival of a little brother."

Jed laughed. He knew first hand that little brothers could be annoying. Annie had spent so long as an only child that he feared she'd never get to experience being a sister. With the wide age difference between Annie and the yet-to-be-born baby boy, Jed wondered what their relationship would be like. "Do you think she'll get the sibling experience like we did? You and your sister are only eighteen months apart. John and I aren't much better at two years."

Abbey pondered this as she flipped the omelet. "Look at Lizzie and Zoey. They're a decade apart, and they've still found a way to be close. Lizzie will make sure that Annie treats her baby brother well."

"It'll be different having a little boy running around," Jed said, thoughtfully. His daughters and granddaughter had loved Barbies, ponies, and ballet. It was hard to imagine what it'd be like having a little boy around. Would he be intellectual like Jed? Or more athletic like Doug? After being surrounded by females for the last thirty years, Jed wasn't sure he'd know how to relate to a little boy.

"You always wanted a boy," Abbey said, patting his shoulder. She grabbed two plates from the cabinet and divided the omelet into two.

"I think having a son would have scared me more than having daughters did," Jed admitted, taking a plate from Abbey.

Abbey sat down at the table and put her napkin in her lap. "Why do you say that?"

"I think it would have worried me more. That history would be repeated."

Abbey nodded, taking her knife and fork and cutting a slice of her omelet. "You aren't your father, Jed. Do you think I would have married you if there'd been the slightest hint you were like him?" She looked up at him with her no nonsense stare, wanting him to know how serious she was. John Bartlet had haunted her husband for so long, and Jed still needed reminding from his wife that not only was he not at fault for his father's cruelty but also that Jed would never be like his old man.

Jed looked down at his food, not able to look at his wife while he collected himself. "Girls really are the best," he said after a moment, placing a hand on Abbey's. "But my God are they complicated!" he laughed.

"We certainly are," Abbey agreed. "But well worth the complexity!"

They chatted for a bit longer while they finished eating their breakfast. Jed took care of cleaning up, then joined Abbey in the study to read the morning paper. They sat facing each other with their legs stretched out on the couch, catching up on current events and sharing tidbits with each other. Jed scoffed at the NRA's latest ploy, while Abbey railed against a drug company who was jacking up the price of end-of-life drugs. When her brain had had enough science and medicine, Abbey moved on to the weather section. "It says here that we got fourteen inches last night!" Abbey read aloud. "Twelve more by tonight."

"The plows will get a head start on it today, and by tomorrow it'll be business as usual," Jed said, smoothing out the business section of _The_ _Washington Post_. "We'll just have to deal with big, ugly gray mounds of snow on the side of the roads from now until April."

"So for today, we can do whatever we want?" Abbey inquired, looking up from the paper.

"I thought we'd both have showers, do a little work, play some chess, maybe watch a movie after dinner."

"I like everything you said, except for the showers and the work part."

"Are you suggesting that we don't bathe, Abigail?"

"I'm suggesting we bathe _together_ , jackass," Abbey said, giving Jed a half-amused half-annoyed look.

"Damnit, woman. Even when you call me names, you're as sexy as ever. What's gotten into you today, Dr. Bartlet? You're so randy."

Abbey smiled. She loved it when he called her Dr. Bartlet. It made her feel warm inside. "I _am_ a little randy."

Jed nuzzled Abbey's leg with his foot. He hesitated before he spoke. "You just performed on me like an hour and a half ago. I'm not seventeen anymore."

Abbey got up from the couch and took Jed's hand. "Jed, I know. I just want to be with you. We never get to spend this much time together."

"Me too," he said and allowed her to lead him to the bathroom. She turned on the water to fill the bathtub and poured in bubble bath. Abbey sat on the edge of the tub and began unbuttoning her pajama top. Her fingers nimbly undid the buttons and her shirt fell to the floor. She pulled down her pajama bottoms and sat for a moment, topless, letting her husband stare. Then she shimmied out of her underwear and slid gracefully into the tub. "Join me?" she asked, looking at Jed.

Jed undressed and scooted in behind Abbey, lacing his fingers through hers and wrapping her in his arms. Wet or dry, Jed loved Abbey's body against his own. She leaned back against his chest and closed her eyes. They didn't say anything for a long time. Abbey didn't know why, but sometimes she missed her husband even when he was right there with her. She loved him so much it made her ache.

Without saying anything, Jed squirted a dab of body wash onto a washcloth and began washing Abbey. Tenderly, he washed every part of her body and rinsed the soap away. Her dainty fingers. The valley between her breasts. Her soft belly. Her exquisite legs. The small of her back. Then he lathered her hair with shampoo and delicately massaged her head. He filled a cup with warm water from the faucet and carefully poured it over Abbey's head, keeping one hand over her forehead to keep the soap out of her eyes. Jed repeated the same process for conditioner, lathering up Abbey's gorgeous auburn hair and rinsing it clean.

Still not speaking, they switched places and Abbey sat behind Jed to bathe him. She rubbed soap over his broad chest, making circles with the washcloth over his nipples. She ran the washcloth over Jed's biceps and down to his strong thick hands. Smoothly, she wiped his comforting belly and grazed his thighs with the tickling terry cloth. As she spread the shampoo through his hair, Abbey smiled at Jed's graying temples. Once she'd rinsed him thoroughly, she gave him a long, soulful kiss that communicated more than she could say in words.

"The water's getting cold," Jed said reluctantly. "Let's get out, and I'll comb your hair," he said, standing up.

Abbey drained the tub, feeling a slight tinge of sadness that the intimate act of bathing each other was over.

Jed held out a bathrobe for Abbey, and helped her tie it, turning her to face him. They held each other for a few moments. Abbey started shaking, her tears wetting Jed's robe.

"Abbey, what is it, honey?"

"I know you're right here, and we've spent so much time together the last sixteen hours. But it's made me realize how much I miss you."

"I've missed you, too. A lot."

"You're the president. Can you issue an executive order that we have to have a blizzard every two weeks?"

Jed laughed. "Being the leader of the free world doesn't mean I can control the weather, Sweet Knees. But I can schedule us to have dinner together every night, no interruptions. Unless there's a national crisis, we're having an hour dinner date every night."

"Really?" Abbey asked, giving him a peck on the mouth. "I really want that."

"Me too," Jed said, reaching for a comb to detangle Abbey's hair.

—-

After a game of chess (that Abbey won) and a hearty stew for dinner, Abbey and Jed relaxed by the fire in their living room, snuggled up against each other as they read their respective books. After a while, Jed put down his book and went to stretch his legs, gazing out the window. He hadn't known he needed it, but he was so grateful for this twenty-four hours with Abbey. Jed loved his country and loved the excitement and the problem-solving of being president. He'd always been a people-person, and he enjoyed meeting new people and hearing their stories. He loved a good debate about political philosophies, and he loved his staff like they were his own family. But being president meant he neglected his wife. The Bartlet marriage was strong, but his presidency was definitely testing it. As a religious man, Jed often prayed for guidance, for patience, and for clarity. As he stood by the window appreciating the snow's beauty, he said a silent prayer, thanking God for this day with Abbey and praying that God would keep reminding him of the most precious thing in this world to him: Abbey.

Abbey crept up beside him and whispered in his ear. "What are you thinking about?"

"You."

Abbey's first reaction was to laugh at the cheesiness of it, thinking it was a come-on. But looking into her husband's beautiful blue eyes, she saw his seriousness.

"Yeah?" she questioned softly.

"Yeah. Thank you for standing by me. I don't mean to neglect you." Jed paused.

"I know, darling," Abbey said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Jed hungrily kissed Abbey in return. "I love you so much, Abbey. You know that, don't you?" He looked at her pleadingly.

"Of course I do," Abbey said, trying to comfort her husband. He looked almost distressed. "Babe, there's nothing to worry about. We're okay."

Jed kissed Abbey again, harder this time, relieved by what she said. If last night had been about sexy, exciting, no-one-else-is-around sex, tonight was about making love, joining their bodies to express the deep-seated, soul connection they had.

Tomorrow, they'd go back to their busy schedules. But neither of them would ever forget this year's blizzard.

 **The End**


End file.
